How To Set Up Woocommerce Shipping Tracking Emails

Level Up Your WooCommerce Customer Experience: Setting Up Shipping Tracking Emails

So, you’ve got a WooCommerce store, congratulations! You’re selling awesome products, processing orders, and generally killing it. But there’s one crucial piece of the puzzle that can drastically improve customer satisfaction and reduce support headaches: shipping tracking emails.

Think about it from your own perspective as a customer. You order something online, and after the Explore this article on How To Remove Placeholder In Woocommerce Checkout initial confirmation, you’re left in the dark. Is it shipped? Where is it? When will it arrive? The anxiety builds! Shipping tracking emails are the antidote to this anxiety. They keep your customers informed and engaged, turning one-time buyers into loyal fans.

This article is designed to be your comprehensive guide to setting up WooCommerce shipping tracking emails. We’ll break down the process, step-by-step, making it easy even if you’re a complete beginner. Let’s get started!

Why Are Shipping Tracking Emails So Important?

Besides reducing customer anxiety, shipping tracking emails offer a bunch of other benefits:

• Improved Customer Satisfaction: Knowing the status of their order puts customers at ease. A happy customer is a repeat customer!
• Reduced “Where’s My Order?” Inquiries: This frees up your time to focus on growing your business instead of answering the same questions over and over. Think of the hours saved!
• Enhanced Brand Image: Professional and proactive communication makes your store look reliable and trustworthy.
• Increased Upselling Opportunities: You can include promotional offers or related products in your tracking emails. A well-timed discount for a related item can be incredibly effective.
• Proactive Problem Solving: Tracking issues become apparent sooner, allowing you to address delays or lost packages before the customer even notices. Imagine being able to contact a customer saying “We noticed a delay, and we’re on it!” – excellent customer service!

The Two Main Ways to Implement WooCommerce Shipping Tracking Emails

There are essentially two main approaches to setting up these emails:

1. Using a Plugin: This is the easiest and most common method, especially for beginners. Plugins offer user-friendly interfaces and often integrate with popular shipping carriers.

2. Custom Coding: This provides maximum flexibility but requires coding knowledge. It’s ideal for unique needs or complex integrations.

We’ll focus Discover insights on Woocommerce How To See Customer Order History on using a plugin because it’s the most accessible for most WooCommerce store owners.

Option 1: Using a Shipping Tracking Plugin (The Easy Route!)

Several excellent WooCommerce shipping tracking plugins are available, both free and paid. Here are a few popular choices:

• WooCommerce Shipment Tracking (Official WooCommerce Plugin): A simple, reliable option developed by WooCommerce. Often requires integrations with specific shipping providers.
• AfterShip Tracking: Offers a more robust and feature-rich solution with integrations to hundreds of carriers and advanced analytics. They often have free tiers for smaller businesses.
• TrackShip: Another popular choice with solid carrier integration and customization options.

For this example, let’s walk through the process using WooCommerce Shipment Tracking as it is generally a good starting point and free.

Step 1: Install and Activate the WooCommerce Shipment Tracking Plugin

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.

2. Search for “WooCommerce Shipment Tracking”.

3. Click Install Now and then Activate.

Step 2: Add Tracking Information to Orders

There are two main ways to add tracking information:

* Manually: This is ideal for smaller shops or occasional orders.

1. Go to WooCommerce > Orders and select the order you want to add tracking information to.

2. You’ll see a “Shipping details” section. Click the “Add Tracking” button (or a similar button added by the plugin).

3. Enter the tracking number and select the shipping provider from the dropdown menu.

4. Save the order.

* Automatically (Via Shipping Carrier Integrations): This is the preferred method for larger stores. It requires integrating the plugin with your chosen shipping carriers (e.g., UPS, FedEx, USPS). Many plugins have built-in integrations, or you might need to use a separate plugin to connect the carrier API.

1. The WooCommerce Shipment Tracking plugin often uses other plugins that integrate with specific carriers. For example, if you’re using UPS, you might need to install the “WooCommerce UPS Shipping” plugin (or a similar plugin).

2. Configure these carrier plugins according to their instructions, including entering your API keys and other credentials.

Step 3: Verify Email Notifications

The WooCommerce Shipment Tracking plugin, in conjunction with the core WooCommerce emails, should now trigger a “Completed” order email when you add tracking information. This email will contain the tracking number and a link to track the shipment.

Important: Make sure that the “Customer invoice / Order details” email is enabled in WooCommerce > Settings > Emails. This is the email that’s usually sent when an order is marked as completed.

Example Email:

Subject: Your order #[Order Number] is on its way!

Body:

Hi [Customer Name],

Good news! Your order #[Order Number] has been shipped.

You can track your order with the following information:

Tracking Number: [Tracking Number]

Shipping Provider: [Shipping Provider]

Track your order: [Tracking Link]

Thanks for your order!

The [Your Store Name] Team

Customizing the Email (If Needed):

While the default email is functional, you might want to customize it to match your brand. WooCommerce allows basic email customization in WooCommerce > Settings > Emails. You can change the sender name, email header image, and colors.

For more advanced customization, you might need to:

* Edit the WooCommerce email templates directly: This requires some coding knowledge (PHP and HTML). The template files are usually located in `wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/templates/emails/`. Important: Never edit these files directly. Instead, copy them to your Explore this article on How To Delete Diners Club From Stripe Woocommerce theme’s folder (`wp-content/themes/[your-theme]/woocommerce/emails/`) and edit the copies. This protects your changes during WooCommerce updates.

 <?php /** 
Order details table shown in emails.
 
* This template can be overridden by copying it to yourtheme/woocommerce/emails/email-order-details.php.
 
* HOWEVER, on occasion WooCommerce will need to update template files and you
 
(the theme developer) will need to copy the new files to your theme to
 
maintain compatibility. We try to do this as little as possible, but it does
 
happen. When this occurs the version of the template file will be bumped and
 
the readme will list any important changes.
 
* @see https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/template-structure/
 
@package WooCommerceTemplatesEmails
 
@version 3.7.0
 */ 

defined( ‘ABSPATH’ ) || exit;

$text_align = is_rtl() ? ‘right’ : ‘left’;

do_action( ‘woocommerce_email_before_order_table’, $order, $sent_to_admin, $plain_text, $email ); ?>

<?php

$before = ‘

‘;

$after = ‘

‘;

// phpcs:disable WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped

echo $before . esc_html__( ‘Order details’, ‘woocommerce’ ) . $after;

?>

<th class="td" scope="col" style="text-align:;”>

<th class="td" scope="col" style="text-align:;”>

<?php

echo wc_get_email_order_items( // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped

$order,

array(

‘text_align’ => $text_align,

‘show_sku’ => $sent_to_admin,

‘show_image’ => false,

‘image_size’ => array( 32, 32 ),

‘plain_text’ => $plain_text,

)

);

?>

<?php

$item_totals = $order->get_order_item_totals();

if ( $item_totals ) {

$i = 0;

foreach ( $item_totals as $total ) {

$i++;

?>

<th class="td" scope="row" colspan="2" style="text-align:; “>

<td class="td" style="text-align:; “>

<?php

}

}

?>

* Use a plugin designed for email customization: There are plugins specifically built to customize WooCommerce emails without coding. These offer a more visual and user-friendly approach.

Step 4: Test, Test, Test!

After setting everything up, thoroughly test the process. Place a test order, add tracking information, and make sure the email is sent correctly and contains the right information. This is crucial to avoid embarrassing errors later on.

Option 2: Custom Coding (For the Advanced User)

If you need complete control over the shipping tracking email process, you can use custom coding. This requires familiarity with PHP, WordPress hooks, and the WooCommerce API.

Warning: This approach is more complex and requires a solid understanding of coding. Incorrectly implemented code can break your website.

Here’s a general outline of the steps involved:

1. Use the `woocommerce_order_status_completed` hook: This hook is triggered when an order is marked as completed.

2. Retrieve the tracking information: You’ll need a way to store the tracking number and shipping provider associated with each order (e.g., using custom fields).

3. Craft a custom email: Use the `wp_mail()` function to send a custom email to the customer.

4. Format the email: Include the tracking number, shipping provider, and a link to track the shipment.

Here’s a simplified example:

 <?php add_action( 'woocommerce_order_status_completed', 'send_custom_tracking_email' ); 

function send_custom_tracking_email( $order_id ) {

$order = wc_get_order( $order_id );

$tracking_number = get_post_meta( $order_id, ‘_tracking_number’, true ); // Assuming you’re storing the tracking number in a custom field

$shipping_provider = get_post_meta( $order_id, ‘_shipping_provider’, true ); // Assuming you’re storing the shipping provider in a custom field

$customer_email = $order->get_billing_email();

if ( $tracking_number && $shipping_provider && $customer_email ) {

$subject = ‘Your order has shipped!’;

$message = “Your order has shipped with tracking number: ” . $tracking_number . ” and shipping provider: ” . $shipping_provider; // Add tracking URL logic here

wp_mail( $customer_email, $subject, $message );

}

}

?>

Important Considerations for Custom Coding:

• Error Handling: Implement robust error handling to catch potential issues and prevent your code from breaking.
• Security: Sanitize and validate all data to prevent security vulnerabilities.
• Performance: Optimize your code for performance to avoid slowing down your website.
• Maintainability: Write clean, well-documented code that’s easy to maintain and update.
• Tracking URL logic: Figure out how to generate the tracking URL based on the shipping provider. Each carrier has its own URL format.

Tips for Optimizing Your Shipping Tracking Emails

• Use a clear and concise subject line: “Your order has shipped!” is a good starting point.
• Include your brand logo: Reinforce your brand identity.
• Provide a clear tracking link: Make it easy for customers to track their shipment.
• Offer helpful information: Include estimated delivery dates, contact information, and FAQs.
• Mobile-friendly design: Ensure your emails look great on all devices.
• Track your email open rates and click-through rates: Use this data to improve your email content and subject lines. A/B testing different subject lines can give you valuable insights.
• Personalization: Address the customer by name.
• Consider adding upsell or cross-sell offers: Suggest related products that the customer might be interested in. Be subtle and relevant!

Conclusion

Setting up WooCommerce shipping tracking emails is an essential step towards providing excellent customer service and building a loyal customer base. By using a plugin or, if you’re comfortable with code, crafting your own solution, you can keep your customers informed and happy throughout the shipping process. Take the time to implement this feature, and you’ll reap the rewards in the form of increased customer satisfaction and reduced support inquiries. Good luck, and happy selling!